Note: I may be writing a negative review here.... There may be hope yet but time will tell if I can adapt to the TC-50 or not. Don't let this post dissuade you from getting the amp.

In short: it sounds similar to the Stiletto Deuce Stage 1 but not as spongy. However that may not be very accurate... Close to the RA100 but that is not accurate either. Comments I heard regarding the TC-50 may be true, it is in a class by itself with a hint of some of Mesa's earlier British amp attempts.

Note: if you are easily offended by reviews that are not in favor of the product, do not continue reading....

I should have stuck to my guns and waited for something better to come along. Not very happy with it. I thought the Mark V was bright. Ouch my ears are still ringing. May take a while to get used to it but I am almost leaning on returning it and get the drums instead. IMHO it is a good amp but not sure it is good for me.

Have to admit that I am amazed how loud it is for a 50W. To damn bright for my tastes....Clean channel is nice though. Out came the screw driver to see what I can throw in it to make it more appealing. I had seen the manual a while back so I was sure it would be similar to the RA100 in some respects. Have a few Mesa 6L6 (matched quad I bought for the JP-2C) and two pairs of Mesa EL34s (set of blues, set of gray). Tubes that were in the amp are Green so the blue or gray would be about the same. Probably would not notice the difference if they were reds. Took a while to find my spare Mesa SPAX7 (it was in a Mullard box, silly me). That helped with the icy top end somewhat for the Hi/Lo channel. Very similar to the RA100 lo gain as that one can be very bright with stock tubes and pushing the frontal envelope through an OS Recto 412. I will get to the comparison soon enough. Had to try the Mesa 6L6 tubes, seemed to reduce the power a bit and was not as loud as it is with the EL34 (Yeah I flipped the switch). Actually this is the first time I ever liked the Mesa EL34 in an amp. I did not favor them in the RA100 as that made it harsh and brittle when driving EL34 speakers. It could be similar as the 2x12 is right in my face with the top speaker. I am not trying to write a bad review here. It does have a nice clean channel. May as well go through the typical swap this and that before I return it, but have to use Mesa tubes though.

The Mesa SPAX7 did the trick... for those unfamiliar with the RA100 including this amp (not sure if the dyne has the same tube topography) V1 is not the first gain stage of the Hi/Lo channel on the TC-50. On the RA100 it is, but V1 does not feed the clean channel, in the case of the TC-50, V1 does not feed into the Hi/Lo channel. Difference here is that with the RA100, V1, V2 are only used by the Hi/Lo and V4 and V5 are only used by the clean (yeah, V4 is the tube position of the first gain stage for the clean channel on the RA100). The TC-50 has a role reversal here but some other tube position differences relative to the RA100 (I will not go into full detail on this). V3 is the first gain stage of the hi/Lo channel so I swapped V3 with the SPAX7 and that made a huge difference on the icy tone. Actually sounds much better and once I figure out to reduce the treble control on the front panel and use my ears to adjust not my eyes. Figured I would state with all tone controls at noon and adjust moving forward.

How it compares to the RA100? It does not. I still favor the clean channel on the RA100 as that is one sweet channel and no switch required to get it dirty either. So in other words, the RA100 clean wins for now (once you figure out how to used it, hint: dial down the bass and boost the treble as the clean on the RA100 is a bit bossy and is a bit bottom heavy). TC-50 on the other hand for its tonal character on the clean side is Fender'ish. Not as saucy as the JP-2C clean but it is nice and will provide a very soft clip with high gain settings. Drive switch is okay to get it dirty but the RA100 gain on the clean channel is the mojo for that bluesy awesomeness. Still need more time with the amp to get a better feel for it.

Hi/Lo Channel, obviously the huge difference is independent controls with an added bonus (It has presence control). Odd that the mid and treble seemed to be similar to the RA100 to some extent, have to drop the treble a bit and boost the mids. What I love about the TC-50 over the RA is the bottom end is tight and more apparent than the RA100. The TC-50 is definitely an offspring or perhaps a close relative’s neighbor. Not sure I like the tight switch on either Hi or Lo channel but after a while with it on, I can appreciate the normal setting and then again want to turn it back on. Perhaps it is time to read though the manual and find the suggested settings page or pages.

At least I did not set my expectations too high on this one so I guess I am not all that disappointed. Did I say it has a nice clean channel? Actually it does have awesome grit, grind, and massive crunchiness to its gain channels. Lo channel almost passes the RA100 Hi Gain channel but does not saturate as much. Hi gain channel definitely is overload to the senses. Not what I expected though. The amp seems a little stale to me, more 2 dimensional in its gain characteristic than what I am used too. It is almost as forward as the RA100 but with reservations on being flat. However, being the Mesa (EH) EL34 tends to sound that way. I think they get better with age once the cathode burns off its coating more. Still need to learn the tricks with this one. Hopefully my opinion will change or improve overtime and be more in favor of it. Perhaps I am not out of the honeymoon with the JP-2C yet. I will give it more time and see how I feel later on.

On a lighter side of the fence. I did learn a few tricks with the RA100. Drop the treble and adjust to suit the gain character. Now it sounds great. Tried a few flavors of speakers. EV loaded OS Recto 412 sounded okay. Not boomy by any means which is the end result when doing the same with the RA100. Also had to run it through the Celestion G12H75 that I have in the RA100 combo. Not bad either but the amp seems to be more modern than vintage in its tonal pallet. Seems the V30 is the better choice. Once I get use to the differences of this new Mesa amp I probably would recommend it.

It will take a bit of time to adjust to the different character of this amp. Still have the JP tone rolling in my head so everything else will seem at odds. I did say it was bright, it is. However it is not brittle by any means. The easy remedy is to dial down the treble or it having a bright amp is great then keep it up. Even with the treble cut completely it will definitely cut though the mix. Has a similar character to the RA100 Lo channel treble response. Seems to increase with elevated midrange settings.

As for loudness..... I never expected a 50W amp to be this loud. I think it is definitely louder than the RA100. Very close to the JP-2C or the Mark V. Tried the Mesa 5BEQ pedal in the loop, prefer the amp without it actually. Ran a Strymon Brigadier though the loop. Now I am really liking this amp. Nothing like having a delay with decay on the repeats.

Definitely different animal that your standard Mesa amp..... Definitely has potential and will grow on me the more I use it so I doubt that I will return it. Perhaps it is a keeper after all. My ears are still ringing though. Not sure what the dB meter would have been reading if I had one to use... I only had the master set to noon. This amp will drown out a drum set and the bass with ease as it has the balls to do it.

I think It may be time to roll in the RA100 head so I can run it though the horizontal 212. Will have to change the tubes back to stock including the power tubes to compare apples to oranges. Reason for this, the RA100 head has the =C= EL34 that just make that amp enjoyable. The combo is loaded with Mullards which really saturate well but may be too much for the TC-50 due to is amazing gain structure. I really want to try the =C= tube in the TC-50.

Been thinking on getting a pair of Mesa NOS STR450 Siemens tubes to try. May even get the STR417 6V6 as well. At reduced volume settings on the master control the amp warmed up a bit more and seemed to have that familiar Mesa tone peeking though. With the master volume set to noon, this amp is loud, along with that the upper frequencies dive in and dominate but not in a bad way. I can adapt to it easily as it is a bit similar to the RA100 voice, especially with the CH2 but with some obvious differences.

TC-50 definitely has a more modern tone to it. Almost like the Stiletto Ace and RA100 rolled into one amp backed up by the ghost of the Dyne stepping on the Lonestar. I did play though a Dyne and had a Stiletto Deuce for a short time. At least the Mesa EL34 do not sound harsh in the TC-50 as they did in the RA100. I think I need an amp shoot out to get a better understanding of how this amp fits in my collection. It is quite unique in its tonal pallet. The gain structure is reveling. Touch sensitivity is amazing. The TC-50 has some really cool things going on and will take time for me to adjust to the tonal differences from the Mark V/JP or Roadster that I have embraced for the heavy lifting and the RA100 for the early classic rock tone.

I think I would have had the same initial impression with the Lonestar as that is different from the norm that I am used too. Perhaps I should have held off on any comments before all the facts are on the table. I do not dislike the TC-50 by any means, it is an awesome amp but different. Now I have to see how it will perform with another amp in a mix. For lead style, both CH2 and CH3 are ideal. Running effects thought he amp are quite satisfying. I think I am in love but just do not now it yet.

Sorry for my initial review of this awesome amp. It did strike me at first on the bright side. It does have a really great tone and gain character that is different. I was listening to the radio on my way home from lunch, not sure what the song title was or who the artist is but I could definitely feel the TC-50 would be a great fit for that style of music. Sorry for the poor association. I think one benefit is that the TC-50 will give you what the other Mesa amps cannot. I do not hear the signature Mesa tone in the amp powering though every chord struck. Reference to the Mark series or Dual Rectifier tone. The RA100 does have this Mesa characteristic vibe to it but in a more mellow format.

TC-50 is precise and holds the note definition at a higher level of sound quality even when pushing the amp into high gain distortion. Response and feel with the guitar, almost as if the note plays before you actually strike the string. Not playing itself but the response time is immediate. Probably the tightest amp with vary little slump on the power chord, Tried as I might to get that sag but did not notice it. Now I am getting excited about having this amp so I will have to take back the drum comment but I really wanted the drum set....Tama StarClassic Perfromer B/B. That is okay, I bought the amp first and the drums will have to wait since I recently bought a Gretsch Catalina Maple set with all available drums (extras that do not come with the standard shell package).

I will have to agree with all of you that this amp is a keeper. I may have had expectations on hearing something that was not there.....That is what sets this amp apart from the rest. I will definitely have to explore this amp in more detail before jumping to my first thoughts.

I had a similar first reaction to my Electra Dyne when I first got it. Relying on videos for how an amp will perform can be detrimental, and that's exactly what happened with my Dyne. But, after playing and feeling the amp, that's when I completely fell in love with my Dyne. I still like it the best of the 3 Mesas I own. I'm just tired of carrying it around!

Definitely give the 6V6s a shot. That was the first thing that caught my eye on the TC-50. The cleans with 6V6 tubes defines "bouncy" to my ears. Plus, that cuts the RMS output in half, so your ears might ring less with the master at noon.

I wondered if you ran it through your collection of speakers, lol! I love the clean channel with an EVM, but not so much for the dirty channels. I prefer my Eminence blend for those.

You and I have the exact same impression on the TC's touch sensitivity. I could play hammer-ons all day and the amp wouldn't even begin to lose any output power or tone. It is almost like the notes sound out before your fingers touch the strings. I've never had that experience with any other amp.

Keep in mind I have JP-2C syndrome. So my first real play through (higher than bedroom level) I thought was going to be a bummer. It was sort of. First with all of the controls at noon that is when I felt cheeted... its bright.... first thoughts were my love/hate relationship with the Mark V as it can be brutal on the top end when using CH3 but that is completely resolved now and love the amp for what it is. Since I have not played either (JP-2C or the Mark V) for a few days now the TC-50 is really catching on. What I thought was missing is actually there (depends on your settings and how much burn in time you have on the amp). First time I tried the Roadster, I did not like it but that is what I wanted and came home with the Mark V instead. Now I love the Roadster. Perhaps too much ear fatigue has set in due to playing the drums heavily (I am learning) followed by loud sessions with the JP-2C.

Today, I had to muster the energy to carry the RA100 head and open it up (remove my cocktail of preamp tubes and the =C= and load it with all stock tubes). I was lucky to have a full quad of Mesa EL34 that were close to the color codes to the one's in the TC-50. Ran both amps side by side and now I am very happy with the TC-50. The RA100 is a bit warmer in comparison but similar. I personally thought the clean channel with pushed gain was going to win me over but the TC-50 is no slouch and can be dialed in to match the warmth of the RA100. With the RA100 clean channel, you need to drop the bass setting other wise it has too much influence on the low end and the presence is (assumed) a preset that cannot be changed. I would have to reject my first claim and state that the clean channels on both are equally awesome. If I need more sag on the response and character of the sound at least I have the RA100 as it is a little spongy which gives it its vintage flavor. In retrospect to my comments on the TC-50, it is a bit dry due to tight response to the bottom end but that is not a bad thing. I was exploring some picking techniques with each amp and they both sound great, may not be identical but I am really getting into the new amp. Note: to get the similar characteristic from the RA100 I had to use the 100W mode as 50W tends to get the power tubes to saturate more. move from the green to the blue as this is the favorite for most who use the RA100 and many that have the TC-50 claim it is a favorite. This is where the two amps begin to differ in tonal characteristic. TC-50 has tight low end. It is not dominant by any means and way more than just present like with the RA100. TC-50 does have the Mesa Mojo but at first I did not find it. Seems that with higher bass settings the amp seems to kick up the midrange that I like to hear. I am actually beginning to love the tone even if it is bright it is not brittle. Has some tooth as it was described in a video. One thing is for sure, I struggled a bit to get the signal to be muddy. No flub from the V30. It just stays bold and aggressive. Earlier first pass I must have had the bass a bit soft. I like both equally well regarding the Lo (blue) channel of the TC-50 and the RA100. The RA is a bit more saucy and the bass is loose with the Stock Mesa EL34. There is some improvement with the =C= (SED) EL34. Onto the Red channel and the differences seem to grow. I left the tone controls as is on the RA100. The RA seems to emulate the Mark IV mode in some sort of way as it does get saturated and gooey like a fresh boogie should be. Bass response is a bit soft and a bit of sag rings out the power chords. Now that I figured out how to get a similar tone with the TC-50 (but lacks the soft bass or sag) it sounds awesome. It sounds similar to the Modern voice of the Roadster on CH3. Very stout bass response. I am very impressed with the huge sound I am getting from this amp. It is really growing on me. Aside from the tonal differences and tight response of the TC-50, both amp are very touch sensitive. Pinch off harmonics just ring with ease (even on the clean channel in drive mode or normal, sounds better in drive).

I am beginning to see the light, the bread is rising, there is mojo brewing in this amp and I figured out how to get it. Also had to do a drop D tuning to explore the red light special (CH3) with and without the tight active. Also had to try the same though the RA100. Way better with the TC-50. In some ways I am glad that the two amps are not identical as I like having variety. It you want some soulful blues tone, push the bass on the CH1 and you will get very close if not better sounding than the RA100 clean with high gain setting. I did say it has a great clean channel many times ( that was a pun) but it also has two other channels that are harder to describe properly in words. Perhaps it took moving the heavy amp into the other room and compare the TC to the RA to gain more confidence that buying the TC-50 was the right choice. Yes it was.... even though I still want that drum set, I do not mind waiting a bit longer....

I wondered if you ran it through your collection of speakers, lol! I love the clean channel with an EVM, but not so much for the dirty channels. I prefer my Eminence blend for those.

I probably will not get a chance to run it though the Celestion Cream 90W ALNICO since I removed it from the Mark V combo. Now in its box it came in for the time being. I did run the TC-50 though the Celestion G12H75 that are in the RA100 combo. A bit too vintage sounding for the TC-50. I may try it again with different settings. I did roll in the beast (my old OS Rec 412 loaded with the EVM12L black label speakers). Not bad but was missing the midrange somewhat. Clean channel sounded good and is not as boom burden like the RA100 is though the EV speaker. Actually I am impressed with how the TC-50 sound though the Vertical 212 cab. One cab that I did not move was the other OS Rec 412 with the stock speakers. I had to put the JP-2C on it since I moved it off of its throne (verti 212) and it was sitting on top of the horizontal 212 where I wanted to put the RA100 head. Just in case you were wondering why not just use the RA100 combo? I could have but there are far more screws to remove to get access to the tubes, the head was the lesser of the two evils, also the =C= tubes were in the head and I wanted to try them out in the TC-50 when I get a chance to do it.

I am loving this amp more every day I plug into it. Had to unplug from the Mark series of tone mentally and actually listen to the amp, dial it in and see what it blooms into. Perhaps I will drop this thread and focus more on the other one... No longer disappointed but never really felt disappointed. I was unsure if this amp would fit or was it right for me, did it fulfill my expectations ? (tried as I might not to have any as this keeps things unbiased if at all possible.)

Just one note... this amp is unique in its tone and character. A bold move for Mesa to take and a good one to boot. It does have some similar traits from the various British amps produced over the many years from the Stiletto to the Dyne, Royal Atlantic and may even have some borrowed tone from the Lonestar (not stating facts on actual circuit design only referencing what I am hearing in a home setting). Perhaps I was biased from the start so did not give an impressive immediate first review, more so that simply reflecting how I felt at the moment of truth (for me anyway). Yes I shall eat my words to my dying day that I was not impressed with an awesome amp made by Mesa Boogie. However, I will not give up easily as I know this thing has more potential that what I have heard thus far. I would definitely recommend without reservation to get this amp, but if you have a mark series tone in your head and expect that to be apparent, get a mark series amp.... but give this little gem a test drive first (set volume much higher than bedroom level). It is a beast but different than a Rectifier amp or Mark. It is not a Lonestar either. I really want to see the Triple Crown series to grow and the first one is actually a winner on all accounts.

What really drove me to buy this amp was the Hi/Lo channel. This amp really excels with alternate tunings. I found that the bass does not need to be dropped down with higher gain settings. Actually I am listening to the Mesa video on the TC-50 as I am writing this... 6V6 will get me what I want that may rival what I get from the clean channel of the RA100.

I like that it can be versatile with power tube selection. That is one cool feature.

I am not sure what I was expecting from the TC-50, perhaps that is a good thing. It is definitely a great amp to have. Quite different when compared to my other Mesa amps. The two features that really drew me to this amp are this: it can use 6V6 tubes if I want that vintage tone (and I do) also it has a monster Hi/Lo character with the EL34 with plenty of tight bottom end that is unique. To add to the two cool features, it has its own character on the clean channel, a bit dry but yet sounds great. (Dry meaning not saturated with the midrange). I will have to record this amp and see if my assumptions are right, may not have to EQ the mid out of the recording like I need to with the other amps to sound more accurate to what my ears hear from the cabinet.

Definitely sweet for palm muting. Before I go any further and probably will not as I want to spend more time exploring this amp I can only think of a quote from a Bruce Willis movie "Fith Element" where the priest gest stuck on what he sees......"It's a....It's a.... It's a..."

I think I have come to conclusions what the TC-50 is not... Not another Mark V, JP or Roadster which is the obvious. And it is not a replacement for the RA100. So what is it exactly.... and how does it fit my world of idiocies? Nothing stupid about the TC-50, actually it is another design mastered by the Mesa Genius. Tasty morsel of what a tube amp should sound like. Though it be different from the norm, it is more normal than I realize.

Time to explore what this amp has waiting for me to unleash. V3 will have to go back to the stock tube it came with. The Mesa SPAX7 was a foolhardy attempt to fix what I thought was going to be a another go in taming the Mark V brittleness but I am wrong about that. Never use the "set everything to noon" approach ( I should have known better) to evaluate for the first time what the amp will do. I learned that early on with the JP-2C. Also have to give it time to settle in ( or burn in if that means anything to anyone) so the caps and other components have time to reduce to nominal or change in their values to some extent which is normal. Not exactly like breaking in a speaker as it is more electrical than mechanical. There may be a slight shift in the power supply and of course the tubes. Definitely want to try the 6V6 as that will be very interesting as it has been a really long time since I had an amp that used them (Fender Deluxe Reverb) and at the time I owned it I wanted something bigger so I opted for the Mesa Boogie Mark III combo.

What I have discovered with the EF Loop, the amp sounds awesome. It just sounded way cool with a delay in the loop. Will have to try a reverb pedal next as the tight bottom end will sound great with the one effect I like on the Strymon Big Sky. Also have the Mesa grid slammer and Flux drive and a Whampler Plexi drive that just did not fit well with my other Mesa amps.

One thing I did notice that is similar to the RA100, the noise floor. A bit more noticeable than with my Roadster or JP but those are different circuits all together. Perhaps a noise gait in the loop may quiet that down but I only hear it with no signal so no big deal at the moment. I was able to tame some of this with a different 12AT7 so that may help when I look into tube rolling if and when that were to take place. I prefer to get some mileage on the amp first before trying to change the tubes...

I would have to say now I am impressed with this amp. Holy crap does this thing rock. Decided to go through my typical set of songs I like to play and dang it nails the tone perfectly. Judas Priest "you got another thing coming", Led Zeppelin "ain't nobody's fault buy my own", "stairway to heaven", "good times bad times", "over the hill and far away" were just to start along with a few others. Of course ACDC "back in black", "TNT" and "Josie" which are what my friends like to play. I have to keep in mind this amp came from a warehouse and not a showroom floor (amp usually gets broken in before you take it home on most occasions). Still may be bright but not at all brittle. Midrange is beginning to emerge a bit more now that I figured out how to dial in this gem.

I may still want the other drum set but best to learn how to play them first on the one I already have.

This amp is a Keeper. Now I wonder once I carry in the JP-2C, how will I feel about it now that I am bonding with the TC-50? If I had to recall what the TC-50 reminds me of, Perhaps the Mark IV running a mixed quad of TAD-6L6GCSTR with the NOS Svetlana's I got from Doug's tubes which were 1990 Groove Tube gold series GT6L6GCR-2. Had just a sinister tone to it. Time to run some amps in stereo ....

Oh yeah, that reminds me of a question I had regarding the newer logic used to change channels since the same is used by the JP-2C as both use the midi controller for channel switching and such.... You cannot swap footswitches as the JP-2C has a standard midi cable and the TC-50 is different. At least I can use the cable from the JP to daisy chain the two amps together and the one footswitch for the TC-50. Time for the manual. I am curious if I can control the JP-2C FX loop with this method or am I just dreaming.....

As for the smaller reverb tank, it is acceptable. Reverb is a little different than the long tank used in my other Mesa's As for the echo effect it can generate, it goes unnoticed when playing and seems to add some layers to the sound. Not really sure if there is any burn in period on the electrical components of the amp other than the tubes as there is nothing to break in exactly unless I am rotating the knobs constantly but at least my ears have adjusted to this new sound. If I really think about it, the only amp that is not super bright is the Roadster. All the rest have that bright quality but it is not ear piercing unless I set the controls too high on purpose. JP-2C can generate some top end notes that chime right up there with the rest of the amps.

I am actually pleased how the Mesa EL34 sound in this amp. Very full tone. Now I will have to pull all of my guitars out and give them a run with the TC-50. It has been a while since I rotated some of my guitars. It is hard to play all of them all the time so they stay in cases and a few are left out for use.

Bandit, just wanted you to know... Since this amp is on my radar as well as the JP2C, RA100 and several others you have/had, I read every word of your posts and appreciate you taking the time to share so much of your thoughts. I don't post much, but I'm taking it all in.

I know how it is with new amps. You go through phases. Sometimes they quickly sound great and then you get used to them and they don't sound as great. Sometimes they don't sound so great at first but you learn to dial them in and then they sound great later. And in either case, your long term impression after living with it for a while becomes the one that matters most, because you've rolled a few tubes, tried a few different speakers, few different guitars, etc, and you REALLY know exactly what the amp can do.

Since so many of your amps are on my radar, I read all your posts and factor what you say into my thoughts. I just need to be able to PLAY a few of these so I can see how they meet my preferences.

Thanks for all your long, detailed posts! The more details you give, the better.